News and Views on Social Marketing and Social Change

Social Marketing in the News

What Does it Mean to be an Environmentally Sustainable Company?

…While the dimensions of sustainability just mentioned will continue to be important -- green products, green processes, social responsibility -- I predict that the pendulum has swung: the single most important dimension of sustainability will be energy use or green house gas emissions. Whether talking about scientific consensus or mainstream customer awareness, we're past the tipping point -- climate change will dominate 21st century commerce…

Note: if you are interested in using social marketing to reduce the energy used by your customers or employees (or to change any type of behavior, for that matter)...

ADRA São Tomé and Principe Marks Completion of Anti-Malaria Campaign

In February, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) celebrated the successful completion of an anti-malaria social marketing project in the African nation of São Tomé and Principe that promoted the use of ITNs (Insecticide-Treated bed-Nets) to fight the spread of the dangerous disease…

ADRA’s anti-malaria social marketing project educated vulnerable groups such as young children and pregnant mothers on how behaviour modification strategies can prevent the spread of malaria. The project reached more than 72 communities with drama presentations and conducted workshops in over 120 communities, along with bimonthly workshops for specific professional groups. ADRA also distributed thousands of posters, leaflets, booklets, bumper stickers, and promoted the proper use of ITNs via radio and television media campaigns.

Dozens of local businesses, non-profit and community groups, pharmacies, and health clinics throughout the country partnered with ADRA to sell at reduced prices long-lasting insecticide-treated nets and re-treatment kits for existing nets. The insecticide-treated nets are certified by the WHO to maintain effectiveness for four years or 21 washings. By the project’s completion last month, 22,500 nets and 31,000 kits had been sold.

The project raised national awareness of the importance of using insecticidal nets to 92 percent, and successfully placed mosquito nets in 52 percent of households. Nearly 200,000 people live on the islands of São Tomé and Principe.

Novartis Foundation Partners with Tanzanian Government with Innovative Public Awareness Campaign to Fight Spread of Tuberculosis

“Patients need to know that tuberculosis is a curable disease, drug therapy has become easier to complete, and finishing a course of TB medications will make a life-or-death difference for patients and those around them,” said Dr. Gilbert Mliga, Director of Human Resources and Development of the Tanzanian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

“We are using nontraditional approaches to reach and motivate patients with TB and their families to engage our healthcare resources and defeat this disease,” Dr. Mliga said.

A form of social marketing, the street theater effort takes a troupe of Tanzanian actors into places and occasions where people gather and dramatizes how a patient can identify symptoms, get to a clinic and ultimately be cured of tuberculosis. Supplementing traditional media, street theater has proven successful in previous campaigns against malaria and leprosy in other parts of the world.

Tighter Controls on Pokies Needed

Green Party Gambling Spokesperson Sue Bradford says tighter controls are needed on the gambling industry, and particularly on pokie machines. "There is increasing evidence that not only are pokies damaging in their effect on people, they are also actually deliberately designed to be harmful," Ms Bradford told crowds at an event in Otara [New Zealand] today…

Ms Bradford took part in two events in Auckland today to mark the launch of a social marketing campaign aimed at highlighting the damage caused to families, communities and society by problem gambling.

…As the Bay Area faces the specter of a killer earthquake anytime in the next decades similar to the 6.9 Loma Prieta quake in 1989, several private and public agencies and non-profit organizations have partnered up to bring disaster awareness and preparedness to the grassroots, especially focusing on ethnic communities.

On Wednesday, March 14, New America Media (NAM) and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) gathered representatives from ethnic media at the PG&E Auditorium. There for two hours, participants brainstormed on how they can help make earthquake preparedness top of mind in the communities they serve…[the] conference was part of the social marketing campaign launched by NAM at the start of the year, aimed at helping ethnic communities minimize loss of lives and property in times of disaster.

HIV Testing: State of the Field and Current Research

…Another community outreach program for rapid HIV testing outreach effectively tailored for homeless youth in San Francisco by Larkin Street Youth Services was described by Chandra Sivakumar.[57] Rapid testing in this population is critical for increasing awareness of HIV status in this high-risk group because many of the youth may not be easily located for results receipt if tested by standard means. The Larkin Street HIV Prevention Program allows for testing of youth in outreach settings. Youth who test positive are linked into care at the Larkin Street medical clinic, which is operated in conjunction with the San Francisco Department of Public Health.Rapid test use led to 100% of youth tested by Larkin Street staff learning their HIV status vs only an estimated 50% with standard nonrapid HIV testing.

Social marketing, with materials created specifically for homeless youth, has been effectively used to educate youth about the test and address their misconceptions and concerns.